West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-11-03


and there was an abundance OF wild
ruits 10 sustain life. There was not an
nhabitant or sign Of one. nor did he find
my living thing except birds and mon.
Wheaton was not onlya good seaman.
but well educated and well poste man
tnd he had sailed on the Pacific for many
years There was hardly an island in that
ocean which he had not set foot on and
could recognize. by sight AGAIN
htcra bit hc began TO figure on his loca.
lion, and he made out that he had been
iriven ashore on an unknown and unchart.
Il island lying very close TO the eouo.
or and In longitude 100 deprccS west
This put him midway. on n anoTtheast and
southwest line, between the Mqruuesas
yr2up and the Galapagos Islands. lie
had visited both groups. and as both
were inhabited mt that time ne could not
nave been mistaken in his location had he
zone ashore on any one OF them. lie
found proofs satisfactory 20 himself that
the island was OF volcanic origin. not
over twelve or fifteen years old. and that
the luXuriant vegetation was due 10 the
tropical climate. The birds, OF which
there were several species, could perhaps
have flown there from some of the other
Islands, but how the monkeys reached
the spot was puzzler the Captaia never
got over That he found 'cm there was
proved when he was rescued, there being
two pet animals on the raft.
Nhen the castnway came 20 walk
around his island he found the wreck OF
ne scotch brig Mcneil on the cast shore.
ana the wreck Of the California ship
Golden Bar on the west coast Both craft
had been reported lost with all on board
two or three years before. The one was n
whale and the other trader The Captain
not only said he found them. but he had
proof again. He had the name board of
the snip and some papers belonging TO
nc brig. He found and buried the
skeltons OF thirteen failors. and among
t2e debris of the wrecks he secured
arge quantity OF clothing considerable
money, some bedding a lot of tools.
ropes, boards, and plankS and within
week he began the work of building a
boat TO enable him 10 escape.
| always felt that the old man must
have had jolly life Of it for the ten
months and over he was on what he
cal ed ''Wheaton's Island, - but he dwelt
on the fact that il was terribly lonely.
1t went harder with him, because he had
a wife and six children, and he kney
that they would be mourning his death.
lie put IN two months on his boat, aud
had just got her finished when a storm
set IN aad she broke he, moorinp3 aud
drilted out 4 sea. Anxiety and expos
urc aidel 10y the worry about the folks
nj home laid the old man on his back for
several weeks a1d he probably had n
close call from slipping h's clbl.s. lie
got mp slowly, and as he had been waste
iul with his materials, he found that he
must turn 10 a raft If hc ever got away.
He worked at it at odd hours. being i'll
and despondent, for several months, and
when il was finished he hesitatcd a full
month before making a start. hoping
every day to sight n sail. Tie had a .ig-
nal flying by day, aud almost every night
he kept fire going, but rescue never
came
One day, two weeks before he set out
on his voyage, the Captain made great
discovery. In a rough, wild place, in
the center Of the island, where a mass of
rock was thrown up in great confusion,
he found a lump Of gold ms big as your
fist. Aye! more than that he found
masses OF it so heavy that hc could not
lift them. These chunks, he said, were
as pure MS his big nugget. and that not
only held in my hand, but saw the certii-
cate OF assay reading that ii was 81 pcr
cent. pure gold. lie sold it mt the mint
in san Francisco for over $i2, 600. and
that in my presence. In the course Of
three or four d 'ys the Captain piled up
such heap Of gold on his island that he
dared not estimate its value There was
enough to make do .cu men rich for
life, and more TO be hld with picks
and iron ba.s. Then the demon Of ava
rice would not let him wait any longerfo
rescue. Indeed, he did not want 10 be
rescued. lie made his raft ready. cut
branches and pulled grass to hide his
uu gets, and set sail with q fair wind to
the northeast hoping TO get into the
track Of ships bound for the Sandwich
Islands lie was picked up as ! have
told yOu, but he found a tough nut i'm
the English Captain. lie had 10 believe
thai Captain Wheaton had left some ISL
aud not fer away, for there was the man
and there was the raft, IGc couldn't have
made himself believe that the island was
ono OF the group to the cast or west. but
yet he wouldn't believe IN nclrcr island
because 10 wasn't chaTted lie simply
jumped to the conclusion that the cast.
away had suffered and endured until his
mind was of its balance. This was nat
ural enough in one sense. but when
Wheaton came 10 show him the relics
from the two wrecks. aud when the two
monkeys were skipping about on deck.
any one bnt an Englishmln would have
been convinced.
Captain Wheaton was sharp enough TO
withhold his biz secret until be had
learned something OF the Eng ishman.
When he found ali his stories and
assertions d rednel he he'd his
tongue. and lot them believe hc was lioht
in the top story. lie was taken 90 the
Sandwich Islands as % ca tawav. and
thence, with money found ON his un-
known island ne paid his passage 10 San
Francisco. 10 was no this latter port he
found me, and within two hours after
meeting him ] had his story ] had no
reason 10 doubt its entire truth. Three
or four others were taken into the secret.
and we formed % syndicate TO 20 after the
gold. had had q legacy OF 81, 900 from
an aunt, aud five Of us chipned IN On
equal amount and bought schooncrand
ftiad her out and manucd her Some
thing or Captain Whctton's wonderful
adventure got into the papers. and there
was great anxiety to find ouf where we
were going. we had ten times as many
men offer their services as we could
nl..et .rT ,.Irr a.. 49,. r ff